Bella's Awakening
by Raisoned
Summary: Set during Edward’s absence in New Moon, Bella is bitten by Victoria. She is saved by Jacob but a second too late. Bella is now a vampire and must remain in hiding. But Edward doesn’t know this. Will E&B face a tragic ending like Romeo and Juliet?
1. The Awakening

Inset usual fan fiction disclaimer :)

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**1 : The Awakening**

I could barely remember. While the scorching pain throbbed through my body and limbs, I could hardly think coherently. Nor could I comprehend the reason for the frantic voices around me. My eyes were tightly shut. My hands clenched in unrelenting fists.

_We can't keep her here. She's a danger to us!_

_One bite and we are as good as dead._

Two different voices sounding from either side of me accused.

A third voice said my name and something else, but my mind was clouding over again. Before I lost conscience, I recognized the angry but familiar third speaker. Jacob.

My personal sun after Edward's departure. I smiled.

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The next time I woke, I found my surroundings disturbingly quiet. I made an effort to open my eyes but my lids felt heavy under some phantom weight. A thin line of light slipped into my sight before my lid instinctively shut together again.

As my conscience returned, so did the unexplainable pain. Then a realization hit me: I must be on the operating table. My last memory was jumping off the cliff and fighting the monstrous current that I forgot to take into account before my leap. Now I am remembering the blue and gray waves gripping me with its ice cold arms and Jacob wrestling with the water, trying to drag me toward the shore. It was probably Jacob who brought me to the hospital. Couldn't they give me something for the pain?

The throbbing was intensifying and I couldn't help but let out a scream.

The sound pierced my ears. I realized that I've not only been holding my eyes shut but also my lips. With good reason because my scream was the most frightening sound I've ever heard. Obviously this caused some reaction from the medical staff because I heard footstep quickly scrambling in my direction. I waited for the shot of morphine but no one arrived until a good minute passed.

Finally a door opened and slammed, followed by a stream of profanity.

_Damn bloodsuckers! Bella, can you hear me?_

It was Jacob's voice again, and I made a real effort to open my eyes this time. The blinding light was there again, but as my opened my eyes further, I saw that the light had formed a halo around the shadow that must be Jacob's head. I tried to focus my sight on the face that leaned toward mine but the light behind him was distractingly beautiful, casting a thousand rays each in a difference shade.

"Where am I?" I demanded to know the source of this magical light that was at the same time monochromatic and colorful.

"Bella, how are you feeling?" Jacob ignored my question but his voice drew my attention from the light.

"Better."

As I said this I realized that the pain was receding. The morphine must be kicking in. I wonder how much damage I manage to do to have caused this much pain.

"Am I going to be ok?"

"Of course," Jacob answered after the briefest pause.

"Good," I decided to believe him. For now. "Can I get up?"

"Can you?"

Concern was evident over his face. Jacob was never good at hiding his feelings. But since he didn't outright say "No", I must not be covered in bandages and casts. So I moved my arms beside me and pushed down on the hard surfaced where I laid.

Three things happened all at once. First, my arms newly freed from pain were stronger than expected and I was upright in no time. My movement was so fast my face almost collided with Jacob's. Second, an unfamiliar but tantalizing smell filled my nostrils and clawed at my throat. Third, I had an irrational desire to kill my best friend.

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**End Notes:** Please leave in the comments any suggestions for where the adventure should lead. Although I have most of the storyline mapped out, I'm still in the process of writing so I am flexible enough to add in or change the plot. Let me know what you think!!!


	2. Escape

**2 : Escape**

"Bella, it's me!"

Jacob was backed up against the wall as physically far away from me as the room would allow. My back was hunched and my body ready to pounce. Jacob's alarmed voice broke my trance. I was about to attack the person who just saved me.

"I'm so sorry," I apologized immediately. "I don't know what got into me."

"I do... I'm not sure how to say this." Jacob's brows twisted in pain and his eyes filled with sorrowful tears. He tugged violently at his hair and his lips trembled but his words came out oh so clear.

"Bella, the bloodsucker got past us."

"Victoria?" _This must be a joke. Jacob's prank. His punishment for my careless jump._

I thought back in time, digging for prove I didn't want to find. My last memory resurfaced. Ice-cold waves. Ice-cold arms. A flash of violent red. Victoria was in the water with me! It was her frigid fingers around my arms. Her teeth scarcely sank into me before Jacob pulled her off. I touched my shoulder automatically and felt the semi circle of teeth marks.

"I'm so sorry! I'll never forgive myself."

"Jacob. It's ok. I'm ok."

Hadn't I wanted this? To become a vampire. Didn't I beg in my dreams for this? But now the reason for my wish is gone. He's gone. I'm a vampire. I didn't know _what_ to feel. I was as lost as that day in the woods. Instinctively, my arms wrapped around my chest in a hopeless effort to hold myself together.

"Bella, I'm going to help you through this." Jacob reached toward me unlocking my arms. His skin was burning hot but he was a rock I could hold on to and I didn't let go.

"I'm not sure if you are actually a vampire." Jacob cracked his first smile since my awakening. It held the same vibrancy as in all my memories.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you want to bite me?"

"Well now that you mentioned it, I do."

Jacob accessed my face while uncertainly covered his.

"Should I leave?"

"Actually, I was going to suggest that. You don't smell very good. I thought humans were supposed to smell delicious to vampires. You have a very unpleasant scent mixed in. Kind of like rotten food."

"Ha! Bella Swan, you don't smell too great to me either!" Jacob's eyes glistened in a joking manner and then turned serious again. "You are a vampire now and I'm a werewolf."

"And what does that make us?"

"I don't know, Bella." Jacob broke eye contact with me by staring at his feet. "This is partly my fault. I weren't going to let you suffer here alone."

He looked up and this time the pain and sorrow in his eyes shot straight to my heart.

"Bella, I don't know what else to do for you."

"Just don't leave me, ok?"

"I think I can manage that." He flashed me another brilliant smile.

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Jacob was sitting on the steps with me. We were in front of an abandoned cabin somewhere north of Forks. And I was drinking Jacob's blood – from a cup. This was a strange situation, even for me after two years in Fork running with vampires and werewolves. Jacob, not knowing what else to do, had pulled out a plastic cup from his Volkswagen and a knife from his pocket and decided to drain some of his own blood to replenish my thirst.

The process was unpleasant for the both of us. Jacob had to cut himself repeatedly to squeeze out a full cup of blood because his wound kept sealing up and healing too fast. And I… well, I had to keep him alive through it all by holding my breath and restraining my body's strong desire to hunt. Now I am sipping from the cup trying to make its contents last as long as possible.

We were sitting side by side but with more distance than usual between us. A precaution for when I might lose it. Strangely enough, it was Jacob who uttered these words: "I thought I almost killed you."

"I thought I almost killed you, Bella. When we got here, I put you on the only piece of furniture inside and left to take care of some, um… stuff with the pack. When I came back, I almost had a panic attack because the sun was shining directly on your face! I thought vampire catch on fire or something in the sun!"

His face was so serious I was suddenly laughing – sincerely, happily laughing. Jacob joined in and echoed my laugh, a rough howl beside my cherubic song. I knew our differences, even greater now that I'm a vampire. But I was truly glad for the loyal friend I had in Jacob. I would have understood had he chosen to leave me to drown in pain in the ocean, hand me over to Victoria, or killed me himself. He was a werewolf and vampires are his enemy.

"So how did we end up here?"

"Well, I couldn't exactly return you to Charlie and Billy wouldn't stomach a vampire in his house. So I carried you north and luckily found this place. You've been out a long time, Bella. Almost an entire week. I was worried you were never going to wake up."

"Were you hurt? Fighting off Victoria?"

"She left as soon as she heard the rest of the pack coming. I think she was alone as well. You know that was a very stupid thing you did right? Going off by yourself. I guess after jumping of the cliff into a storm didn't kill you, Victoria did."

"Wow, I'm dead. I'm really dead. What does the pack think of you being here with a vampire?"

Jacob scoffed to himself. "They think I'm trying to get myself killed. But hey look, I'm still alive!"

"No thanks to me."

"Bella, I think you need to let loosen up on yourself. We just need to accept the present and figure out the future. One step at a time. You and me."

I thought really hard about what to do next. I probably can't go back to Forks again. It's too dangerous. So many people I knew and so many people I am now a danger to. I wonder if Charlie has reported me missing yet. I bet there would be pictures of me posted all around town and all the big cities in the area. I would have to leave Washington but where to go next - somewhere without humans. And I can't take Jacob with me. I'm a constant threat on his life, and I can't take away his family and friends by asking him to follow me.

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A couple hours later, I was in the Rabbit with Jacob heading back to Forks. I'm not sure what his plan was or even if he had one. Whatever it is, it probably involves arguing with Billy and the rest of the pack. They didn't want me anywhere near Forks. I had to act fast.

"Can we pull over for a minute? I need to take a breath. Away from you." I said as casually as if I were asking for a bathroom stop. As a vampire, I must have gotten better at lying because Jacob smiled easily believing my lie and pulled to the side of the road.

"I'll try not to be offended." He joked. Werewolf or not, Jacob was still a sixteen-year-old boy. "I'll wait for you here."

I stepped out, planning to run for it. I didn't dare take any of my things from the car. What material things would I need now that I'm a vampire and completely isolated from my past life? And like so, empty-handed and empty-hearted, I walked away from everyone I loved – Renee, Charlie, Jacob, my life in Forks.


	3. Alaska Bound

**Author's Notes:** Please excuse any typos and fact errors. I'm posting the chapters as soon as they are written. I hope the writing is at least decent for the first draft.

Trust me. Edward is a part of the story but right now the plot doesn't call for his presence. Just bare with me and it shouldn't be too long. I don't think I could handle it :)

I'm not sure how fast vampires travel since S. Meyer never clued us in. I guessed that they go slower than a plane even with annoying connections but much faster than a typical car.

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**3: Alaska Bound**

I broke into a run as soon as I was deep enough into the wood to block Jacob's sight, and I kept running never turning back to see if he followed, almost certain he would not catch me. As a new born, I moved faster than most vampires and my lie bought me precious time to gain a good head start.

As I ran with lightning speed and agility around the trees, I wondered how everyone would react to my absence. Charlie would look for me but eventually finding no body, he would have to accept my death. It would be easy enough to fake. I had left Jacob a note inside his car explaining my reason for taking off alone and a detailed fabrication of how I died.

With my new vast mental capabilities, the story of my disappearance was made all too believable. In a few more hours, Charlie will hear of my foolish leap into the ocean, backed up by eye witnesses from Sam, Paul, and the rest of the pack. I did not trust Jacob to lie to my father. I did not expect him to so. Sam and Paul would explain to Charlie that Jacob tried to jump in and save me, but he could not find where the treacherous waves carried me. My dead overwhelmed Jacob and he took off to grieve alone.

Charlie will believe all this, after hearing from multiple witnesses and the story is solidified by Jacob's silence. But the fact that my father will also come to the conclusion that I committed suicide dug a hole into my heart. A hole I must seal with the rest of my aches in my heart. I had to find a purpose, a reason for living, a distraction from the pain of realizing what I've become, what I've lost.

Through all of this, _his_ name tried to squeeze its way into my thoughts. I knew my best bet was to find Dr. Cullen for guidance but the fear of also seeing _him_ again killed that possibility. I thought about the Denali clan that he had told me about, ones that were friends to the Cullen's. Recalling their names took more effort than expected. In fact, my memories before my transformation were started to blur together. I slowed my run in hopes of better concentration, and oh boy, do I have worst timing.

A wave of mouthwatering smell unexpectedly washed over me. My body lowered into my automatic crouch and I was ready to run again but this time in a different direction. The human's blood was calling to me, teasing me with its appetizing flavor. I could resist no longer and broke into a frantic run toward the only thing that made sense in my mind.

"Bella, no!" A familiar voice surprised me. I whipped my body around in a circle to access my surrounding, looking for the maker of that beautiful sound. Seeing no one, I realized it was my delusional mind again. Deep down inside, I wished so fiercely that Edward would be here for my first days as a vampire. We could hunt together and resist the call of human blood together. Too late now for that wish to come true. I was alone and on my own.

I should have been more careful staying away from populated areas. Too bad my sense of direction has never been great. I've probably gotten myself far too close to a small town filled with people much like those I left in Forks. I couldn't afford to hurt anyone and I am far more dangerous than I gave myself credit for. I must stop wasting time. I held my breath and changed direction for Denali, Alaska.

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Truthfully, I really had no idea where Denali, Alaska was located and couldn't afford to stop by a gas station to ask for directions. So I followed the Pacific coast line, sometimes swimming in the ocean when needed to avoid signs of civilization. After a whole day in the water, I guessed that I must be in northern Canada. My vampire skin was not only unbreakable but also insusceptible to the changing temperature. If not for the obvious white sheet that covered the land adjacent to my route in the water, I probably would not have stopped until I reached the Arctic.

After two more days of tireless swimming in the water, I hopped on land. In the days I spent in the water, I felt no hunger, no discomfort in my throat. Resisting seemed easier than I expected, much easier than the Cullens warned me against.

A visitor center map near Anchorage which I visited in the dead of night informed me to head due north. Denali National Park and Preserve was the size of my palm on the 3-foot map. It would probably take me days before finding any sign of its supernatural residents. Nevertheless, I pushed myself forward. At least the park would be hard to miss even with my pitiful directional skills. It contained the highest peak in North America, Mount McKinsey, a monumental 20,320 feet as the map also informed me. Perhaps the height would be no trifle for my newborn body, and I could survey the surrounding land from the peak with my heightened eyesight. And with a seemingly decided plan in mind, I went due north.


	4. The Coven

**4 : The Coven**

A pair of wolves surprised me when I first entered the park. I immediately crouched for attack but memories of my furry friends in La Push made me pause and bought the wolves a little time for a speedy get away. I would have easily caught up to them at the speed they were going but another surprise sprung on me. Fear kicked at me in the stomach. This time my crouch was defensive rather than offensive.

It was a group of three, one male and two females. The beautiful figures and their diamond covered skin screamed vampire but also of danger. Their eyes were a glowing yellow revealing their vegetarian lifestyle. This must be the Denali family. They must have also hunted recently. Their eyes were the same lightness as Edward's when sneaked through my bedroom window right after returning from a hunting trip. Recalling his eyes made my heart skip a beat.

In the fraction of a second that I spend distracted by my own memory, not one of us moved. Both sides saw potential danger in the other. I realized this was a bad way to make acquaintances with vampires I hoped would take me in. So I forced myself to relax my stance and approach their ranks.

"Hello, my name is Bella Swan. I'm a friend of the Cullens from Forks." Short and brief so they will not catch the half-lie in the second half of my statement.

"Bella Swan? You must be Edward's little siren. He must have really lost it then." I flinched upon hearing his name spoken out loud but they probably mistook my little jump as a reaction to the unpleasant memory of being bitten. _She thinks Edward bit me. _The speaker was appraising me from foot to toe. I didn't bother to correct her.

The female who spoke had a head of strawberry blond hair that burned orange under the sunlight. Her beauty could easily rival Rosalie's, full of glamour and allure. Her two companions were obviously of another ethnicity. Their hairs were dark brown and their eyes wise with age and experience.

"Is that why the Cullens left their residence in Forks so quickly?" the blond female accused.

"At least you are alive and well," the dark haired lady threw a disapproving look toward her sister and cooed to me in a Spanish accent. "You are very welcome to stay here."

"I am Carmen." The Spanish lady introduced herself and then pointed to her sister. "The rude one is my sister Tanya." She said with a not so serious smile.

"Eleazar." The third one nodded to me. His eyes concentrated my face with an unreadable gaze.

"Come," Carmen drew me into her arms. I took a deep breath, thankful that I was no longer on my own.

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It's been a week since my arrival at Denali. I met two more members of the Denali clan. Kate reminded me of Alice's warm and bubbly nature. She went with me on my first hunt, feeding a large variety of animals in the Alaskan wilderness. Irina, after her initial cautiousness, was a graceful hostess in the few times I saw her. In fact everyone other than Tanya treated me like an old friend.

"She's just threatened by your pretty face," Kate reassured me. "My sister is not used to competition."

Life in Alaska was wonderfully calm, the scenery breath-taking through my adjusting eyes. The uneventful days provided too great an excuse for my mind to wonder. Lying now on the soft snow banks, I was trailing off in my thoughts. I wondered when or if I would see Edward. With an infinite lifetime, I doubt it's possible to avoid him forever. If I stay with the Denali coven, he is bound to find out. Perhaps now that he is no longer a constant threat to my life, we could become friends.

Friends. Could I do handle that? I was finally beginning to understand what Jacob must have felt every moment he spent with me. Could I lie to myself like Jacob? Convinced that the person I loved would love me back one day. I shouldn't. I knew I would be doomed the second I plant that seed of hope. But life without Edward is so monotonous. I might as well be in rainy Forks, Washington than the snowy slopes of Alaska. Jacob's friendship was off limits to me now. My family thinks I'm dead…

Too many thoughts flew through my head and the naked pain of my loneliness ripped through my heart. Sounds that barely resembled sobs rumbled through my chest but no tears were capable of escaping my eyes. I was the stone cold Bella again. Silently suffering and coldness inside matched the temperature of my skin.

The irony of my actually being dead snapped me out of my hole of self-pity. I decided to go hunting. By letting my vampire instincts take control, I forgot my human memories. So I set off to drink myself silly.

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After a massacre of two grizzly bears and a moose that got in my way, I reluctantly headed back to my temporary home at the foot of Mt. McKinsey. I was ready to put on a mask of deceptive bliss for my host family when I opened the door. I had an unexpected visitor. I recognized the familiar but complicated scent. My mind warred with itself whether to melt into absolute bliss or fill with apprehension of the purpose behind this visit.

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**End Notes:** The Denali family is pretty clueless about what has happened in Forks. Therefore Tanya is ignorant of Bella's relationship with Edward and Irina unaware of Bella's friendship with the werewolves who killed Laurent. I'm curious what their reactions will be when or if they find out the truth.

Don't worry. Although I'm getting a kick out of writing wretchedly sad scenes, this is not New Moon. Edward is coming very soon. Yay!

Thanks for reading. Please review!


	5. Visitor

**5 : Visitor**

Had Alice come to find me in Forks before my transformation, I would have undoubtedly run directly to her cool, strong embrace. But now I was unsure. What was she doing here? Everyone left Alice and I alone as soon as my foot as in the door. Right now, I truly wished for the power to listen in on her thoughts. Perhaps she saw my transformation in her visions and came to offer her help. But she must have also seen my arrival here and realized that I am safe, to myself and to others. I have adapted speedily to living around humans. In fact, it would be no problem now if I were left them to live on my own amongst humans. Perhaps, I could return to Forks…

As my thoughts rambled on, Alice only starred at me without any comprehensible expression on her face. I shifted my weight, fidgeting uncomfortably and unnaturally for a vampire.

"Bella," Alice chuckled silently at my little movement and finally approached me with her usual friendly embrace. She slipped her arms through the holes between my bent elbows and my torso. The unexpected softness and warmth of her hug caught me off guard. My shoulders tensed and a strange anger ignited in me. It took all my effort to restrain myself from violently pushing her away. Instead I leaned slightly away and Alice got the message.

"How are you feeling?" Alice was persistent, not letting my body language discourage her at all. "I've missed you. I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner."

"Why are you here now?" I kept my voice calm and void of emotion.

"It's a long story and I'm not sure how to start."

"Try, Alice." My anger faded completely and now seemed absurd – must be another bout of newborn symptoms.

"I saw your death."

I gasped at Alice's statement. "You're here to warn me? Again what?"

"No, Bella. I saw you jumping off a cliff and I saw Victoria bite you in the water."

"And?"

"And for weeks… nothing more. I assumed you were dead."

"You didn't see Jacob chasing away Victoria and pulling me out of the water?"

"Jacob? Your friend from La Push. How did he manage to fight off a vampire?"

"Um…" This is going to be hard to explain. I couldn't come up anything but the truth. "Jake is a shape-shifter kind of like… a werewolf."

I swear Alice's eyes visibly bulged to twice their normal size. "You were with a werewolf during your transformation?" Yep, she was definitely appalled by my story.

"Yeah, it went mostly ok. I don't think the rest of the pack was happy about Jake staying by my side while I was turning into a vampire. The pain… well it's over and I was unconscious during most of the time."

"Bella, I'm surprised that you are even alive! To be nursed by a werewolf!"

"Jacob is my friend! He even let me feed on his blood."

"You bit the dog!" Is it possible for her eyes to get bigger?

"I didn't bite him!" Now it was my turn to be appalled. Like the Denali family, Alice was expected me to be an absolutely out-of-control monster. "He poured, for the lack of a better word, some into a cup for me."

"Oh my god…" Alice was clutching her upper body which was shaking with wild laughter. "I can't believe I missed all of this in my visions."

"And then I came here." I ignored her misplaced humor, still shocked by the suggestion that I killed my best friend. "Now finish your story."

"Ok. But listen to all of it. Don't freak out in the middle."

I nodded and Alice kept going.

"I wasn't suppose to keep tabs on your future, as order by Big Brother Edward, but your _death_ sort of crept up on me. So I told the whole family except for Edward about my vision. He was somewhere in South America on some self-motivated mission to track Victoria." Alice grimaced. "Edward is talented in a lot of ways but he was never good at tracking."

"Rosalie, being her vain and unthinking self, went to find him with the news of your death. Edward trusted the unfaltering accuracy of my vision, and not able to reach anyone in Forks, he headed straight to Italy. Bella, he went to the Volturi to ask for death."

I gasped. Edward had mentioned the Volturi before. They were the ruling family of vampires. The very people he planned to visit if he could not save me in time from James. In Alice's eyes, I saw a reflection of myself pale faced and desperately clutching at her arms.

"Bella, let me finished." I nodded robotically.

"I watched all of Edward's plans in my visions helplessly. When Jasper and I got to Italy, he was already a prisoner of the Volturi. The Volturi don't take offenders of our secret lightly but they value Edward's gift too deeply to…" Alice trailed off her and I understood what her silence meant. Edward could have met with the fate he wanted. Under normal circumstances, the Volutri would have punished disobedient vampires with an end to their existence. It was Edward's gift and the Volturi's greed that saved him. For now.

"I thought Edward could not be saved. He refused to apologize even after Carlisle pleaded for his release. The Volturi are arrogant because of their age. They are set on keeping him until he agrees to their terms, but Edward could not be persuaded. He's made up his mind to die and no one can convince him otherwise. All of us thought we were sure to lose him, but a couple days ago, I saw this vision of you swimming in the ocean. I thought I was hallucinating. We were all convinced you were dead. But the visions kept appearing and I had to come to find you."

"Edward is a prisoner of the Volturi." I whispered to myself, testing my own reaction. My body was numb all over.

"Bella, you have to come with me. If you love Edward still, you have come save him."

Hope was creeping back into me. There was only one thing I could recall in the frozen darkness of my mind - Edward's face.

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**End Notes:** Thanks for all the reviews. Keep it up! I hope this chapter wasn't too boring. Tell me what you like and don't like so I'll know what to include in the future. Thanks!


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